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“14 orangutans return home”

Fourteen orangutans that had been smuggled out of Indonesia a number of years ago and thought to have been put to work at tourist attractions at private zoos on the Thai resort island of Phuket performing kick-boxing and other acts were recently sent home to Indonesia. According to a wildlife official the fortunate animals were rescued seven years ago on Phuket and sent to an animal sanctuary and breeding centre near Bangkok where two of the orangutans were born.

Thanks to the Indonesian Air Force, which provided a C-130 military cargo plane, the fourteen orangutans were transported home, each in a metal cage for the five hour trip from Bangkok to Jakarta, the capital of Indonesia. Over the past ten years, fifty-two orangutans have been returned to Indonesia and other countries of origin by Thailand as part of a programme to combat the illegal wildlife trade.